Every type of stone (granite, marble, slate, etc.) contains minerals that were bonded under certain conditions. Every one is a unique and natural creation. Some types vary more than others, but the range in colors and the variations in pattern and texture are inherent and must be expected. While each kind and type of stone is quarried out of a specific area, no two pieces will be exactly alike. The key is knowing the basic characteristics of the stone of choice and learning to enjoy its unique beauty for years to come.

If you’re researching countertops for an upcoming kitchen or bathroom new construction or remodel, quartz probably keeps popping up on sites like Face book, Pinterest and Houzz, or in the pages of design magazines and books. Quartz has become a design favorite in recent years and it's also the top-rated man-made material given its ability to shrug off stains and is virtually low maintenance.  You may also be seeing more references to quartzite, which sounds a lot like quartz and can look similar. But these are actually two separate materials with some very key distinctions.

"Quartz" used to be known as engineered stone, because it is a synthetic material that’s made in a factory out of stone chips, resins, and pigments. These chips are ground up to the consistency of sand then mixed with binding resins and pigments to give the material its look. Polyester resins are added to the ground up quartz to bind them to make into a Quartz slab with different colors or pigments and are sold in the market to fabricators in sheets of 2cm (3/4") or 3cm (1 1/4") countertop thicknesses. Quartz slabs are manufactured and sold by different companies and come in multiple sizes and pricing and shipped to distributors. Samples can be found at the fabricators showroom.

Quartzite, by comparison, is a metamorphic rock that originated as sandstone. It's extracted from a quarry in huge blocks of stone and cut into 2cm or 3cm finished slabs and shipped to the United States. These slabs are then cut by the fabricator and the edges formed that become kitchen countertops, as well as vanities, shower walls, and backsplashes.

Natural Stone such as Granite, Marble, Travertine, Soapstone, Limestone, Quartzite, Luder's, Onyx, Slate and Sandstone come from all over the world depending on the color and type of stone. For example, White Carrera Marble comes from Carrera, Italy and is a beautiful long lasting time-less material which has been quarried for over 2000 years. Few stones can match the warm glow, the soft flowing colors along with the inherent beauty and luster of marble. Most natural stone colors can be looked up on the internet to locate the country of origin which makes them even more personal once they are installed in your home.

Natural stone is a product of nature formed in the earth's crust. The three classes of rock that form the earth's crust are metamorphic, sedimentary and Igneous.

• Metamorphic Rock - (Marble and Slate) - is formed by the chemical and physical alteration of existing rock. Metamorphic stone originates from a natural change from one type of stone to another type through the mixture of heat, pressure and minerals. The change which occurs may be a new development of texture, veining or color change.
• Sedimentary Rocks - (Limestone and Travertine) - Sedimentary rocks are formed in two ways. Some are formed by pressing together or compacting loose particles (mud, sand, shells or pebbles - they can also be remains of living things such as plants and animals) which have been deposited on land or in water bodies such as seas or lakes. Other sedimentary rocks are formed by crystallization of dissolved minerals.
• Igneous Rock - (Granite) - is formed by the cooling down and solidification of molten magmas and lava. As they cool, crystals form and grow upon one another until the entire molten body has turned to stone. Igneous Rock was the first to form on the planet and today make up 95% of the earth's crust.

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